


Beast

by journeycat



Category: PIERCE Tamora - Works, Tortall - Tamora Pierce
Genre: Animal Abuse, Dog Fighting, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-11
Updated: 2015-09-11
Packaged: 2018-04-20 04:47:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4774085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/journeycat/pseuds/journeycat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Humanity is the rarest form of virtue.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Beast

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written for the Drabble Tournament (250 words) at Goldenlake in May of 2010. Prompt: feelings and emotions. First place winner.
> 
> NOTE: Though short, it does depict dog fighting. Proceed with caution.

It was the scream that caught Daine’s attention, an animal in agony. She was running before she realized it, and spared no thought to the fact that she was crossing Dunlath’s border into the neighboring fief. This was a cry she could not ignore. 

She burst out from the woods, and stopped short at the scene before her. Two youths laughing and betting, dogs in pain—

_“Stop this now!”_

The dogs fell apart, heaving, and only because she was forced to use her magic to separate them. One collapsed with a whine, his strength finally sapped. He was striped with old scars, and his blood-soaked skin would only carry new ones away from this fight. The other trembled wearily on her feet, head held low, but her eyes flashed triumphantly and Daine caught a wisp of a tired thought— _I won, did you see? I won_.

In livid fury, she turned on the youths, trembling. The pockmarked boy shrunk beneath her biting gaze, face white and stricken with terror. But the other—he stared at her shamelessly, a challenging glint in his icy blue eyes.

She could not confront them, not now, when her wild magic begged to be released. It was too dangerous for all of them.

“Get out of my sight,” she hissed, baring fangs she longed to use.

It had the desired effect; even the cool boy fled from her. Only then could she turn her attention to the damaged creatures who bled for human greed.


End file.
